#25 West Virginia at #5 Cincinnati - Like many college football fans, particularly those in SEC country, I am inclined to view any team from the league we jokingly call the Big Least as just another pretender. West Virginia (7-2) has a good running back in Noel Devine, but he sprained his ankle when the Mountaineers nipped Louisville 17-9 last week. Quarterback Jarrett Brown sprained his ankle too. That's not good news for a team that is 7-2, but hasn't managed to beat anybody that is actually good. It's hard to know what to think about Cincinnati (9-0). They are off to their best start since 1951, when they won nine straight games before losing to Xavier. I hate to get into comparative scores, but, this year, they hit the road and beat the same Oregon State team that has now beaten Stanford and Cal. Regular readers of this blog will know that I am a Mardy Gilyard fan, not just because he's a great receiver, but because, last year, he made one of the kindest gestures I've ever seen in a college football game. Here's the thing that really intrigues me. Quarterback Tony Pike opened the year putting up great numbers (128 of 199 passing for 1633 yards with 15 TD's and 3 INT's). Then he gets hurt, and sophomore Zach Collaros takes over and does even better (76 of 100 passing for 1229 yards with 10 TD's and 1 INT). That's truly remarkable. The Bearcats will win. Not necessarily because they are great, but because they are playing the Mountaineers. Another pretender from the Big Least.
#10 Iowa at #11 Ohio State - People in Big Ten country still believe that Iowa (9-1) has a chance of being an at-large BCS team after they lose to Ohio State (8-2). And they will lose to Ohio State, so that's not really the issue here. What concerns me is that a state that is well-known for the importance of its early primaries in presidential elections contains so many people who are apparently insane. The Hawkeyes managed to win their first nine games, but they barely scraped by so often that the question wasn't if they would lose, but when. In last week's loss to Northwestern, quarterback Ricky Stanzi injured his ankle badly enough that it required surgery. You might think that other stars on the team would pick up the slack, but they don't have any. So we're left with an Ohio State team that will clinch the Big Ten title Saturday when they beat Iowa. They're not going to play for the national championship, but they'll be in the Rose Bowl against the winner of the Pac 10. That's actually excellent news for Buckeyes fans who can comfort themselves with the knowledge that they won't have to sit through another beatdown at the hands of an SEC team.
Stanford at #9 USC - I don't like USC (7-2), and I'm glad to see them suffering through a season in which they have sustained two losses. So far. Of course, there are many teams that would like to "suffer" through such a season. The Trojans have won the last seven Pac 10 titles, but this year's crown is still up for grabs. They've also won 47 of their last 48 games at home. The lone loss in that stretch was Stanford's colossal upset in 2007, when they were 41 point underdogs. Quarterback Matt Barkley is talented, but sometimes plays like the freshman that he is. Last week at Arizona State, he completed just 7 of 22 passes, but the defense added a score on a pick six, and USC managed to win 14-9. Despite what the alleged experts keep telling us, the defense isn't up to the usual standards either. They are currently ranked 38th. Among the defenses ranked ahead of them... Duke. I'm not kidding. Stanford (6-3), meanwhile, looks more like a Big Ten team of old than a Pac 10 patsy. They have a strong offensive line, and a big, physical running back in the form of Toby Gerhart who is, rather quietly, the 2nd leading rusher in the nation. Stanford also has Andy Luck, an effective passer with better than average escapability and a great name. The alleged experts said Oregon couldn't just line up and run right through the Trojan defense two weeks ago. But they did. I think Stanford can do the same thing. If they can avoid a letdown after last week's shootout win over Oregon, the Cardinal will prevail again. Fear the Tree.
#16 Utah at #4 TCU - I've watched TCU (9-0) play a few times, and I'm convinced they are a well-coached team that can be competitive with anybody out there. They have competent running backs, an efficient passer in Andy Dalton, and a defense that ranks 3rd behind Texas and Florida. On top of that, Jeremy Kerley leads the Mountain West in kick returns and punt returns. Utah (8-1) holds a 5-1 edge in the series, and managed to ambush TCU 13-10 in Salt Lake City last year, but, this season, they haven't been as impressive as the 2008 squad that also ambushed Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. Since losing at Oregon in September, they've won six straight, and won nine of their last ten road games, dating back to last season. But they've also changed quarterbacks in mid-season, replacing struggling junior Terrance Cain with promising freshman Jordan Wynn. With the conference championship and a BCS bowl berth at stake, I think the Horned Frogs win convincingly.
#1 Florida at South Carolina - Every good Florida fan knows that there is always reason to fear the old Head Ball Coach. They remember all too well how South Carolina snuck up on the Gators, and scored a 30-22 win in Columbia in 2005, Urban Meyer's first year at Florida. And Spurrier has said that he will take more control over the play-calling Saturday in an effort to jump start his offense. They averaged just 12.3 points in the last four games, after averaging 27.3 in the first six. Quarterback Stephen Garcia is sharp at times, but inexplicably bone-headed at other times. They are still 19th in total defense, and should present a challenge for a Florida offense that is having a hard time making big plays. But, likewise, Florida's 2nd ranked defense should stifle the Gamecocks. Florida has already clinched the SEC's Eastern Division, and just needs to survive until the huge showdown with Alabama. Rainy weather could be a factor, but that should favor Florida and their ground game. When in doubt, I'll take any team with Superman at quarterback. This is one that will make their fans nervous for a while, but the Gators will win.
This week, My Crystal Ball Says... was brought to you by Campbell's Primordial Soup - "With You Since the Very Beginning" For information on how you can sponsor this feature, please contact me at illegalprocedureblog@gmail.com.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment